I used an impact wrench for the first time yesterday and it totally blew me away. I must say I am smitten. . It pulled the clutch basket nut off in about 2 seconds as if it was only hand tightened but it was actually at some 200 ft. lbs, or kilo cubits or something like that. If you have never experienced the sublime joy of an impact wrench do NOT pass up an opportunity. It was a religious experience. I know you're probably thinking this is off-topic, but I'm brainstorming a way to carry it with my on-bike kit. Seriously.

I used an impact wrench for the first time yesterday and it totally blew me away. I must say I am smitten. . It pulled the clutch basket nut off in about 2 seconds as if it was only hand tightened but it was actually at some 200 ft. lbs, or kilo cubits or something like that. If you have never experienced the sublime joy of an impact wrench do NOT pass up an opportunity. It was a religious experience. I know you're probably thinking this is off-topic, but I'm brainstorming a way to carry it with my on-bike kit. Seriously.

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How would you carry a compressor? Paintball's nitro tank would be the only resonable thing I could think of.

I used an impact wrench for the first time yesterday and it totally blew me away.
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I know you're probably thinking this is off-topic, but I'm brainstorming a way to carry it with my on-bike kit. Seriously.

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I assume you used a pneumatic impact...IMO, if you need an impact on the road, things have gone pretty bad and carrying even a lighter manual-impact is pretty impractical from a weight and heft standpoint. To each their own, but you have to draw the line somewhere...

I used an impact wrench for the first time yesterday and it totally blew me away. I must say I am smitten. . It pulled the clutch basket nut off in about 2 seconds as if it was only hand tightened but it was actually at some 200 ft. lbs, or kilo cubits or something like that. If you have never experienced the sublime joy of an impact wrench do NOT pass up an opportunity. It was a religious experience. I know you're probably thinking this is off-topic, but I'm brainstorming a way to carry it with my on-bike kit. Seriously.

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I got this for the holidays and let me tell you, it kicks ass. It's pretty compact and has quite a bit of strength, 125 ft lbs of torque. But the torque isnt adjustable and it will snap smaller bolts if you arent careful. Good around the garage but I wouldnt carry it around with me although it's small enough to put in a side or top-case.

Impact drivers are cool tools when you need them, but you can get in trouble in a hurry with them and I wouldn't use them as a general way to loosen things. I have two in my toolbox and I haul them out for lug nuts, countershaft sprockets, etc, but don't use them except in special circumstances.

Carry one in a on-the-bike toolkit? Sure, right along with a drill press and sledge hammer.

Impact drivers are cool tools when you need them, but you can get in trouble in a hurry with them and I wouldn't use them as a general way to loosen things. I have two in my toolbox and I haul them out for lug nuts, countershaft sprockets, etc, but don't use them except in special circumstances.

Carry one in a on-the-bike toolkit? Sure, right along with a drill press and sledge hammer.

I use one of these aroudn the shop, ad infinitum. They are sooo fast for disassembly and if you are gentle, reassembly too. With a littel practice you can have surprising "torque-dexterity" with them! IN the case of field repairs where you've got a bike stranded, for example, where you can't rescue it with a truck - and only with another bike and known-needed spare parts...these are pretty slick/light and just about as powerful:

...although they would never loosen a clutch-basket nut, countershaft nut, or otherwise. they would make the job faster though.

As I and others have said, if you absolutely need an impact in the field it's mostly because something has gone really, really wrong. These events are very few and far between IME, and in many cases could have been prevented by correct maintenance or assembly procedures.

I use one of these aroudn the shop, ad infinitum. They are sooo fast for disassembly and if you are gentle, reassembly too. With a littel practice you can have surprising "torque-dexterity" with them! IN the case of field repairs where you've got a bike stranded, for example, where you can't rescue it with a truck - and only with another bike and known-needed spare parts...these are pretty slick/light and just about as powerful:

...although they would never loosen a clutch-basket nut, countershaft nut, or otherwise. they would make the job faster though.

As I and others have said, if you absolutely need an impact in the field it's mostly because something has gone really, really wrong. These events are very few and far between IME, and in many cases could have been prevented by correct maintenance or assembly procedures.

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Got a model # for that little makita? I've been thinking of picking up a mini impact driver, mainly to speed things up, not really to use as an impact gun. More of a fancy and small screw gun

Okay, so I don't normally do much in-depth vehicle work, so the limit of my impact experience is taking off my lugnuts and opening the drain/fill holes in my diff. But the time I most appreciated an impact gun (air-powered), was taking the wheels off of my friends rustbucket of a truck. Man, the lugnuts were practically welded onto the studs, I coudn't believe how much work was needed to free them!

But yeah, I don't see any place for them in a bike toolkit. I don't think I would use one on the bike in a garage, as I've come close to tipping the bike over just with the breaker bar. And things can go pear-shaped a whole lot quicker with power tools as opposed to hand tools.

I do carry a spare plug on long trips (more the 10,000 miles). Instead of carrying it in a giant plastic case, I gap it, put anti-sieze on the treads, put it back in the original box with the cardboard ring around the treads and then wrap the box in duct tape. You now have a plug that you will never use and a handy supply of duct tape.

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I don't mean to be antagonistic, but just in case you, or a n00b reading your post overlooks it: something to consider is that whilst more compact, the method you describe probably won't protect it from water. My main reason for carrying spare spark plugs is for when the existing ones get wet; either in a river crossing, or in the case of my SV, water-ingress into the front plug during prolonged rain (or a dealership cleaning the bike with a pressure washer).

If it's just a quick dip, or you're in hot climes, you might get away with a quick spray of WD40 and taking it out to dry for ten minutes. If it has been properly soaked (botched river crossing/floods) this may not suffice. Either way, a properly waterproofed spare plug carrier like the acerbis ones will allow you to get back on the road sooner.